Medplum MCP vs Opentreeoflife
A side-by-side look at the Medplum MCP and Opentreeoflife MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Medplum MCP for biology & bioinformatics work; choose Opentreeoflife for biology & bioinformatics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Medplum MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
Choose Opentreeoflife when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Biology & Bioinformatics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
match_names, taxon_info, common_ancestor.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Biology & Bioinformatics | Biology & Bioinformatics |
| Quality signal | 41/100 · Fair | 55/100 · Good |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2,760 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 3 |
| Full listing | View Medplum MCP | View Opentreeoflife |
Tools & capabilities
Medplum MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Opentreeoflife tools 3
match_namesResolve scientific (Latin binomial) names to Open Tree of Life taxon IDs (ott_id). The ott_id is the key needed by taxon_info and common_ancestor — start here. Returns the best match per name with its ott_id, accepted name, rank, and synonym/approximate flags. Keyless.taxon_infoGet full details for an Open Tree of Life taxon by ott_id (from match_names) — accepted name, rank, unique name, synonyms, source taxonomy, and the complete ancestry lineage from this taxon up to the root of life. Keyless.common_ancestorFind the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of 2-10 taxa in the synthetic Tree of Life, by ott_id (from match_names). Returns the common-ancestor taxon (ott_id, name, rank). Keyless.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Medplum MCP
No confirmed install command for Medplum MCP yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Opentreeoflife
{
"mcpServers": {
"opentreeoflife": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-opentreeoflife"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Medplum MCP is categorized under Biology & Bioinformatics and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Opentreeoflife belongs to Biology & Bioinformatics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Medplum MCP for biology & bioinformatics work and Opentreeoflife for biology & bioinformatics.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. Medplum MCP has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Medplum MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Opentreeoflife has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add mcp-112 and opentreeoflife as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Medplum MCP has a quality signal of 41/100 (Fair) with 2 views, 0 installs and 2,760 GitHub stars. Opentreeoflife has 55/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.